Philippines moves to claim, secure Benham Rise

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Philippines moves to claim, secure Benham Rise - Yahoo! News Philippines

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - After getting the nod of the United Nations on its claim to Benham Rise, the Philippines has moved in on the submerged landmass believed to be rich in natural gas and minerals off eastern Luzon.

Benham Rise is found in one of the country¿s ¿unexploited¿ fishing grounds, according to Assistant Director Gil Adora of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). His agency is currently assessing the area¿s marine resources.
Adora said commercial fishermen from China and Taiwan had been entering the eastern seaboard of Luzon over the past years. Their ships are more advanced and well-equipped to handle the strong waves there, he said.

Taiwan is exploiting it right now," he added.

In April, the agency implementing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) informed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that Benham Rise is part of the Philippines¿ continental shelf and territory.
The Unclos, concluded in 1982, defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world¿s oceans.

Rich in blue fin tuna

Also known as Benham Plateau, the massive formation of basalt, a common volcanic rock, has been described in studies as a thickened portion of the Philippine sea plate¿s oceanic crust.
According to the DENR, the plateau is rich in natural gas and manganese nodules. The waters of the 13-million-hectare continental shelf off the coast of Aurora province is rich in blue fin tuna, Adora said.

The BFAR official explained that the Pacific blue fin usually found in the colder waters of the northern Pacific has thrived in the seas east of Luzon, which are colder than the other tuna fishing grounds of Filipino fishermen.

Tuna production
Access to the rich fishing ground will be an advantage to the Aquino administration.

Tuna is one of the Philippines¿ top fisheries exports, but the volume declined recently after conservation measures were imposed in the Pacific high seas.

Total tuna exports in 2010 was valued at US$359.4 million. Of the total volume, about 70 per cent was in canned form (76,800 metric tonnes), and the rest (33,688 metric tonnes) was either fresh, chilled or frozen. Canned tuna exports in 2010 dropped by 8 per cent compared to 2009 figures.
BFAR Director Asis Perez said the reopening of the Pacific high seas would mean an additional 150,000 MT of tuna catch for the Philippines. A limited number of Filipino commercial fishers will be allowed entry there, starting September, he said.

Scientific info

Adora said the BFAR, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, was studying Benham Rise to determine the fish species there and the best time to venture out to sea.
A research vessel sent by the agency will provide scientific information to Philippine commercial fishers so they can retrofit their ships for fishing in the eastern seaboard.
According to BFAR officials, the currents are unlike other fishing grounds in the Western Pacific high seas and the West Philippine Sea because the area is on the path of typhoons.

The BFAR study is expected to be finished by yearend.

[CVT]

Magtayo na ng buildings diyan para sa Senado at Kongreso....

Tapos, annex buildings nila sa Panatag Shoal at sa Spratly's....

16.1K:nerves:

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diba yun sabenham rise ay rick din sa fossil oil & gas?

mukang ang ating bansa ay pinapaligiran ng nakatagong yaman...

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padalhan na ng squatters yan para wala ng umangking iba.

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padalhan na ng squatters yan para wala ng umangking iba.

sana nga ganun nalang gawin ng govt magrecruit sila ng willing tumira dun sa dami ng pinoy my gusto naman siguro tumira dun...

sa mga owner ng pinoy fishing vessel magisda na kayo sa benham rise...bigyan din sana ni Pnoy ng development and support ang mga fisherman natin

[Jiggs]

Basahin muna kayang mabuti bago mag react. Eh unless me syokoy na mga botanteng Pinoy eh di sige lagyan ng communities dun.

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somebody is disconnected from reality

[pop3corn]

Basahin muna kayang mabuti bago mag react. Eh unless me syokoy na mga botanteng Pinoy eh di sige lagyan ng communities dun.

yun nga mga sirena sa aklan eh nasasakupan ng Pilipinas so walang problema dyan sa mga syokoy na yan. malamang kung papapiliin sila kung san nila gusto pumanig China or tayo. malamang tayo kasi malamang lulutuin sila ng Chinese, mahilig sa exotic foods mga Chinese kaya

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hanep pala tong Benham Rise: PH's new territory off Aurora na lastmonth lang pala inaward ng UN

Benham Rise keeps a large amount of heavy metals like manganese, whose accumulation into manganese nodules can help in the production of steel, among other things.
Considering the area is a seabed, which is known to contain gas hydrates, Benham Rise is also potentially a rich source of natural gas.
yun lang ang lalim kaya kayang idrill at gawan ng oil rigg jan

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ok siguro put coast guard vessel dun and upgrade navy ships at ilagay dun sa Coast ng Aurora province..

diba sa aurora province balwarte nila Senator Angara...manghikayat sana sya ng pinoy investors or mga fishing company dun para pinoy ang makinabang hindi mga dayuhan...

The Philippines will gain 13 million hectares in additional territory, an area slightly smaller than Luzon, should the United Nations approve next year the government's claim on a region off the coast of Isabela and Aurora. Philippines into a natural gas exporter because of the area's huge methane deposits. demand for gas deposits in Benham Rise "because it's much cleaner than (other) fossil fuels."

[robot.sonic]

last year ko pa to narinig kay denr secretary paje.

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malaking challenge sa mga oil company panu nila sisipsipin ang natural gas at kung panu din kukunin ang manganese nodules sobrang lalim dun a...

[ZENMasterTYL]

in a related news, bibilhin ng japan yung disputed island

Japan to buy disputed islands, angering China | Inquirer News

TOKYO — Japan’s government said Monday it has decided to purchase several disputed islands, prompting China to angrily warn of “serious consequences” if it proceeds with the plan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Japan will buy the three uninhabited islands in the East China Sea from a private Japanese family it recognizes as the owner. China and Taiwan also claim the islands, which are part of what Japan calls the Senkakus and China the Diaoyu group.
Fujimura said the decision to nationalize the islands reflects Japan’s desire to create a “stable and secure” environment, not to anger China.
“We hope there will be no misunderstandings,” he said.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded swiftly, saying Beijing would not “sit back and watch its territorial sovereignty violated.”
“China strongly urges Japan to immediately stop all action to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty and return to a negotiated settlement to the dispute. If Japan insists on going its own way, it will bear all the serious consequences that follow,” the ministry said in a statement.
It did not specify the possible consequences.
All the major state newspapers in China ran the ministry statement on their front pages Tuesday, along with comments from Premier Wen Jiabao.
“The Diaoyu Islands are an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Chinese government and its people will absolutely make no concession on issues concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Wen said at an inauguration ceremony for a statue of late Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.
State-run China Central Television reported that Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest the plan.
Fujimura said the decision to buy the islands was made at a meeting of Cabinet ministers who are involved in the purchase plans. The full Cabinet, led Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, is expected to approve the decision on Tuesday.
Supporters think having the government own the islands will strengthen Japan’s claim and control over them and send a tougher message to China.
Under the nationalization plan, the islands are to be left as they are now. China does not recognize the Japanese family’s deed to the islands as legitimate.
In April, the outspoken nationalist governor of Tokyo announced that he was hoping that his city would buy the islands and push for their development, a move that would have inflamed relations with China even more.
The dispute has long been a flashpoint in Japan-China relations, and has been heating up in recent months.
Earlier this month, the city of Tokyo sent a team of experts to waters around the islands to survey fishing grounds and possible sites for development, a move that was strongly criticized by China. Activists from Japan and Hong Kong briefly set foot on the islands last month, and hundreds of Chinese have held street protests in various cities in recent weeks.
The dispute over the islands boiled over into a major diplomatic tiff between the two neighbors after a Sept. 7, 2010, incident in which a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese coast guard ships near the islands. The fishing boat captain was arrested and later released.

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malaking challenge sa mga oil company panu nila sisipsipin ang natural gas at kung panu din kukunin ang manganese nodules sobrang lalim dun a...

kaya huwag masyado excited sa mga ganyan balita

dami balita re oil and gas projects sa Pinas pero ito ang tanong -- ilan sa mga yan will actually make it to commercial production?

at present there are only 2 projects that are producing -- Malampaya and Galoc